Response

I agree with Madie in that these chapters are very telling of Raskolnikov’s character. Both she and Gabe share a similar opinion that the extreme amount of guilt that Raskolnikov feels serves as the cause of his mental instability and paranoia. I agree with their opinions, considering Raskolnikov is becoming quite crazy and frantic, and I personally do not believe that he will be able to handle his emotional suffering for much longer. I agree with Madie’s opinion that Raskolnikov is not a strong enough character to keep up the façade that he is innocent. We both agree that he will probably do something drastic due to his newfound incoherent personality and mental breakdown.  Although Madie and I have various similar opinions on both Part II and what will happen next in Crime and Punishment, I disagree with her idea that Raskolnikov will not get caught and have a trial, go to jail, or be punished. While we both agree that Raskolnikov’s true punishment is his internal suffering, I agree with Gabriel’s thoughts that Raskolnikov will eventually confess for the murders and he will get in trouble with the authorities. Moreover, Madie brought up an interesting point in her analysis of Raskolnikov’s visit to Razumikhin. Although I did not think of it this way at first, after reading Madie’s analysis, I agree with her belief that Raskolnikov was initially looking for someone to confide in, but soon realizes that he cannot confide in anyone without confessing what he did. This explains why Raskolnikov was so angry at Razumhikin, when all Razumhikin wanted to do was help Raskolnikov. Gabe also brought up the interesting fact that Fyodor Dostoyevsky uses dreams to symbolize the truths about Raskolnikov’s subconscious. I am excited to continue reading this thrilling novel and to see which group member has the correct opinion on whether or not Raskolnikov will get in trouble with the law.

-Alex